


oh, i'm in trouble now

by FabulousPotatoSister



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (i mean. i'm sorry but when is it ever), (there's SOMETHING THERE), Confrontations, F/M, I Tried, Not Beta Read, Sequel, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:35:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23092684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FabulousPotatoSister/pseuds/FabulousPotatoSister
Summary: Returning things is polite.The sequel toi think you're gonna change my plans
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader, The Master (Doctor Who)/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 174





	oh, i'm in trouble now

**Author's Note:**

> Or "I've realized I'm actually thirsty for Dhawan!Master and I've fallen into a hole I can't get out of." 
> 
> I've been stuck on this fic for a week because I've just been super busy with the final week of school but I Am Back, Babey and more pumped than ever to write some stuff. Let's hope that this energy carries all the way through the whole summer! Again, the title's from the FINNEAS song "Claudia". Enjoy!

“You wouldn’t shoot me.”

“You don’t know that,” the Master said. He took a few, steady steps forward, his grin getting wider as you stepped away from him. “You know me. I’m unpredictable.”

The Master was used to seeing fear in people’s eyes when he threatened them with imminent death. It gave him a rush,  _ a buzz,  _ straight to his hearts. A sense of power, of belonging - because that was who he  _ was _ , he was an unpredictable being and he could do whatever he wanted. 

But as the Master gazed into your eyes, he couldn’t help but be surprised at what lay behind them. There was no fear, no panic despite the fact that you were staring down the barrel of a gun that he had taken off a body that was only meters away from him - no, instead there was something he couldn’t read. It was an emotion he couldn’t pinpoint, but something entirely new. It excited him.

“You say  _ unpredictable _ , but I still found you here,” you said, “and I have you cornered. That sounds like predictability.”

_ Oh, _ the Master liked you better lucid. The last time he saw you, you were a bleeding, delirious mess. Sure, the Doctor’s companions tended to be fiery, and her favorites usually had parts of her personality rubbed off onto them, but you were an entirely different firecracker.

“Say I surrender,” the Master began, raising his armed hand in the air and not missing the way you didn’t flinch, “what do you do? Call the Doctor and the rest of your friends so you can capture me again? Act like the hero because  _ you, _ a  _ human _ , were able to capture the Doctor’s best enemy? Gain her favor over her other pets? Is that what you want?”

You let out a heavy breath, your entire body tensing at his words. He’d hit a sore spot it seemed, and the Master grinned widely.  _ That _ must be the problem with travelling with so many companions. An overwhelming need to please… to please someone who would find more interesting things, eventually. A human’s life was just a second compared to a Time Lord’s. The Doctor’s history with her companions spoke for itself.

A heavy silence hung between the space between you and his gun. The Master would have said something else to rile you up, it was  _ so  _ easy to do that, but he was having much more fun watching you  _ think _ . You bit your lip and dug your feet into the ground, furrowing your brow. 

But when you spoke again, your gaze was steady. “I know you won’t shoot me because I’m letting you go.”

The Master stilled. He felt his grin drop from his face, and his hands tremble.  _ No _ . You were doing that thing again, the thing that made him question his entire self when he’d found you in that cobblestone alleyway long ago. You were doing that thing and he  _ hated it _ .

“Why? Why do this?” The Master hated the way his voice shook. He could not be weak, not in front of you, who was showing him so much mercy. Mercy that, for all his crimes, he probably didn’t deserve.

You just smiled. “Does there have to be a reason?”

Later, he would not admit that your smile disarmed him. He may have been holding a gun but it could have never existed because of the implications behind that small smile of yours. He would have thought that what you said was something the Doctor would say, but after all he had done? The Doctor would not show him kindness. 

You, however, were giving him kindness with reckless abandon. That was not just the Doctor’s quality, that was  _ yours _ .

“I… I owe you,” you said softly. The Master gripped his gun tighter. “You stayed by my side when I didn’t ask you to. You didn’t kill me when you had the chance.  _ That’s kindness _ .  _ That _ was unpredictable.”

The Master scoffed. “That won’t happen again.”

You ignored him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t very offended by that. He should have been. “Already breaking your promises.”

What were you  _ doing _ ? What were you doing that was keeping him from pulling the trigger? He shouldn’t have stayed behind - you were a loose end. He wasn’t going to lose his chance again, you were vulnerable, a perfect target right now, you were giving him an opening - 

The Master lowered his gun. 

He kicked himself for that - he was giving you exactly what you wanted. For all he knew, you could be lying and he could be walking into a trap. But your palms were open. There was no threat, as far as he could see. He had no reason not to trust you. 

“Good. Now that you’re not pointing a gun at me - and I  _ know _ you’re trigger-happy,” you said, “I have something of yours.”

The Master raised an eyebrow. “What?”

You reached into your pant pocket, pulling out a checkered piece of cloth - a handkerchief smattered with spots of blood.  _ Your _ blood.  _ His  _ handkerchief. 

So you hadn’t forgotten. It was good manners to return something borrowed, after all. So you had found him, instead. “That’s  _ mine _ . Are you going to give that back?”

“Maybe,” you answered, a teasing lilt to your voice. Your eyes flickered with mischievousness. You were definitely not scared. “If you play nice.”

“I’m already trying, love,” he said, smirking. You raised your eyebrows, the ghost of a smile playing on your lips. You took a few steps forward until you were standing only inches away from him. You were getting very close, and yet not uncomfortably close. “Nice enough for you yet?”

“You’re getting there.” You tilted your head to the side, still holding his handkerchief in your hand. “Hold out your hand.”

Wordlessly, the Master lifted his hand, his palm facing upwards. This felt special. He kept his eyes fixed on yours as you dropped his handkerchief back into his hand, the soft fabric crumpling into a heap onto his palm. You smiled again, and then suddenly slammed something onto his wrist.

You lept backwards. “Sorry.”

The Master looked down - he was wearing a bracelet, one that looked finely crafted, woven with gold wires and set with a single green-ish jewel. The Master looked up, mouth curled into a snarl,  _ he knew it, this was a trap all along and he was a complete and utter fool, _ but you were still smiling, your hands raised in surrender.

“I had to do it,” you said quickly. “Or she’d find you here. With me.”

_ The Doctor _ . The Master looked down again, recognizing the strange bracelet. The jewel flashed brightly, casting a green glow over his hands. 

“Clever,” he mumbled, strangely proud, “very clever. How did you get your hands on this?”

“You never told me how you got out of the Kasaavin dimension,” you replied, “so you can keep your secrets. I have mine.”

The Master felt a smile slip onto his face. He was liking you more and more by the minute. The Master could see it now - him and the Doctor vying for your affections, for your favor - and the thought made him smile even wider. You must have never told the Doctor about your first meeting. Were you ever even  _ hers _ in the first place?

“I suppose I’ll have to thank you, then,” the Master said.

There it was again - that imperceptible and unreadable look in your eyes. You shook your head, placing your hands behind your back. “No need. Thank me later.”

The jewel flashed more urgently. Your gaze flicked to the flashing bracelet, and you smiled,  _ very _ widely.

“My turn,” you said, laughing, and then he was gone.

Suddenly, standing in a cold, dark alleyway, the Master shivered. The jewel on the bracelet had lost its green color. The Master shook off the bracelet, looking at his reflection in the dulled jewel. 

The tables were turned. Now he had something of yours. If this was a game you were playing, he would play along. It was only fair, after all. And if it wasn’t a game - well. You were an entirely different firecracker, and the Master didn’t mind getting his hands burnt.

In the darkness, the Master let out a laugh. It’s polite to return things, after all.


End file.
